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Tag Archives: compulab

Introduction
The CompuLab fitlet2 is a new model in their fitlet series. The new fitlet2 switches from AMD to Intel’s Apollo Lake SoCs. My unit has the Intel Atom x7-E3950.

First we should discuss the elephant in the room, the fitlet2 is quite small. Here is the fitlet2 compared to a standard 3.5″ hard drive:

Disclaimer: My unit was provided by CompuLab to evaluate its potential as a target for coreboot, and to poke at their firmware (😈). I received no compensation for this review, apart from the gratis hardware, and CompuLab did not have any input or influence on the review except to clarify my questions.

CompuLab use a small form factor port for RS-232, so if you plan to use the onboard RS-232 port, you will need to remember to order the accessory cables package during checkout.

I found the lack of rubber feet a bit strange. The bottom case is slightly elevated thanks to some protruding metal at each corner, but without the rubber feet the device is very slippery on most surfaces. It would be nice if CompuLab included rubber feet in the box that you could apply if you wanted to put the device on your desk.

Hardware

Intel Apollo Lake SoC: Atom x5-E3930, Celeron J3455, or Atom x7-E3950

Up to 16GB DDR3L-1866 Non-ECC (single SODIMM)

M.2 SATA storage

M.2 NGFF for WiFi or cellular modem

Dual Intel Gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel i211)

HDMI 1.4b and mini DisplayPort 1.2 outputs supporting 4K resolution

Two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports

MicroSD card reader

3.5mm Audio in/out

The CPU in the fitlet2 is low-end. I personally don’t feel there’s any point in trying to talk up the capabilities of the Intel Atom series because they weren’t designed for performance. The Atom specializes as a low power CPU, with the Atom x5-E3930 consuming 6.5W, the Celeron J3455 consuming 10W, and the Atom x7-E3950 consuming up to 12W.

However, there are other areas where the fitlet2 surprises, such as the ability to accept a 16GB SODIMM. The Atom x5-E3930 and x7-E3950 also support ECC memory, although CompuLab confirmed that to offer the Celeron J3455 version they’ve removed ECC support from the motherboard. Be sure to check the fitlet2 RAM Qualified Vendor List (QVL) before purchasing.

Somewhat disappointingly, [email protected] is not supported on both display outputs. This is an Intel Apollo Lake limitation, and will hopefully be resolved in their next generation SKUs. If you want to use [email protected] via HDMI, you’ll need to buy an active adapter to convert the mini DisplayPort output to HDMI 2.0. DisplayPort MST is supported, so you can daisy chain DisplayPort MST capable displays. Unfortunately in my testing I was not able to daisy chain any combination of 4K displays. Daisy chaining two 1080p displays functioned normally. HDMI also functions while DisplayPort MST is active, so in my testing I was able to have three simultaneous 1080p displays driven by the fitlet2. I only have two 4K capable displays, so I’m not able to test all possible display combinations.

The micro SD reader is a nice inclusion, however the slot is so recessed in the front panel I found it impossible to insert or eject a micro SD card with my fingers. I ended up using another SD card to gently push the micro SD into the slot. Even with this helper, I found it difficult to insert and remove the micro SD card. This experience convinced me that if you’re going to use a micro SD card frequently with the fitlet2, an external reader is a must. If your plan is to use the micro SD as expandable storage that is rarely removed, then I don’t think that would be an issue.

My unit came with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB M.2 SATA SSD installed. The M.2 SSD (2242) in my unit is the Kingspec NT-64.

I have been using Kingspec SSDs in low performance applications (such as firewalls) since the beginning of 2017 and haven’t experienced any failures or issues, so while they’re relatively unknown in the West I don’t think they’re necessarily a bad choice. If you want to add a name brand M.2 SSD such as Transcend or ADATA you would probably be better off to buy the barebones model and add the SSD yourself.

The stock model only accepts 7-20V DC input. CompuLab does offer a build-to-order (BTO) version of the fitlet2 which accepts 9-36V DC input.

Software
CompuLab isn’t currently shipping the fitlet2 with any OS. But since the fit-iot website shows a render of the case in the Linux Mint colour scheme, it’s possible they will introduce a bundle with Linux Mint in the future as they have done with past products like the MintBox 2.

I do plan to test Linux, BSD, and Windows 10 IoT on the fitlet2. However I decided to wait on performing any extensive testing or benchmarks until patches for Meltdown and Spectre are available for all the above operating systems. Thoroughly evaluating an OS takes some time, so it may take me some months to get around to reviewing the fitlet2 with the above operating systems (and I have other projects in my pipeline too).

I’m also waiting to hear back from CompuLab on whether they plan to include support for Secure Boot. While some people are against Secure Boot, I think including the option to enable it and letting the user define their own keys would be a wise idea. For hardware intended to be installed in an industrial scenario and left unattended for years in the field, cryptographic verification of the entire boot process is vital to maintaining endpoint security.

Xubuntu 17.10 installs and runs nicely on the fitlet2. Average power consumption at the desktop is around 4.5W. There does appear to be a minor issue with Xubuntu not fully powering off the fitlet2, which CompuLab is aware of and will hopefully be resolved soon.

Conclusion
The fitlet2 is not the smallest x86 platform available (that honour would probably go to the Intel Compute Stick), but certainly offers a lot of I/O and expansion options for its diminutive size.

The fitlet2 is similar, though slightly less I/O rich, to the PC Engines APU2 (Quad Core, 2/4GB RAM, 3x GigE, 3x mPCIe, SD reader) while offering more convenient interfaces like HDMI and DisplayPort for people who don’t live in a 115200 baud world.

The dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces would make it ideal as a low power firewall or an IoT gateway. Triple display support (DisplayPort MST & HDMI) out of the box could also see the fitlet2 used to power an informational or advertising display. Given CompuLab’s “IoT” marketing for the fitlet2, maybe there will even be a LoRaWAN FACET module available at some point in the future?

For consumers interested in an inexpensive, low power, and fanless PC, the fitlet2 is also functional as a desktop or a small server. It supports multiple displays and has USB3.0, but don’t expect miracles from the CPU or GPU. Worth noting is the stock model doesn’t support WiFi, though there are many inexpensive USB to WiFi adapters which are compatible with Linux and Windows, should you wish to add WiFi later. The fitlet2 also lacks USB Type-C which is supported by Apollo Lake and is slowly becoming more mainstream.

The fitlet2 comes with CompuLab’s standard 5 year return to depot warranty, but CompuLab also offers the Atom x5/x7 models with an extended 15 year availability. This is an important consideration for business customers who want stability in their supply chain or plan to develop and support long-lived products with the fitlet2 (e.g. CNC controllers, PLC applications, IoT gateway).

With barebone models starting from $154 I think the fitlet2 offers good value for the price. I feel CompuLab have a good offering here for the industrial segment as the fitlet2 is much more affordable than previous CompuLab products like the Intense PC, and competing products from companies like Logic Supply.

I am very pleased to announce that coreboot now supports the CompuLab Intense PC and MintBox 2! 🎉🎉

Building coreboot
The instructions for building coreboot yourself can be found on the coreboot Wiki. You will need a Linux system with typical development packages installed such as build-essential.

Select CompuLab and Intense-PC in the Mainboard section of the coreboot menuconfig:

You need to decide at this point whether you wish to use the internal full-height PCI-Express slot for mSATA or as PCI-Express:

If you have not installed an additional mSATA SSD in your Intense PC, then you do not need to select this option. Selecting the mSATA option is only required if you have installed an mSATA SSD and want to use it in the Intense PC:

Because coreboot does not have full support for the embedded controller (EC) in the Intense PC right now, the choice of using mSATA or PCIe cannot be made at runtime. If later you wish to change the function of the slot, you need to rebuild coreboot while selecting the appropriate choice of mSATA or PCIe.

Note that the mSATA port is limited to SATA 3Gbps speeds. This is a hardware limitation of the Intense PC design, and cannot be changed by flashing coreboot.

It is important to include the Firmware Descriptor Table (FDT), ME, and GbE regions of flash. Specify these files in the Chipset section:

You can choose yourself if you want to run me_cleaner on the ME or not. Note that if you choose to run me_cleaner, all SATA ports will cease to function. This is not a coreboot specific bug, the same behaviour occurs on the CompuLab firmware when me_cleaner is run. It may or may not be possible to fix this issue, more research is needed to understand the root cause.

If you want to have video during POST, you also need to include the Intel VGA BIOS in the image. Specify this in the Devices section:

In theory coreboot graphics init is supposed to initialize the Intel HD graphics without the need for the VGA BIOS, however without the VGA BIOS I was unable to get any video output until the Linux kernel started booting. This makes using the bootloader menu or troubleshooting pre-boot issues very difficult.

I would recommend you enable logging to cbmem at a minimum. This will allow you to access the coreboot boot log in Linux using the cbmem utility. If you have trouble booting the Intense PC after flashing coreboot, I would recommend you enable logging to UART, and use the included serial dongle to debug coreboot via RS-232 (115200n8). UART support for the Intense PC should be accepted to coreboot master shortly.

The default boot order of SeaBIOS seems to be SATA HDD if present, then PXE boot (if compiled with iPXE). It is possible and easy to change this, by specifying a bootorder file to include in cbfs when building coreboot.

I have created a boot order file which searches for boot devices in the following order:

USB 2.0 devices

USB 3.0 devices

SATA devices (in order: 2.5″ internal, mSATA, eSATA, FACE module)

iPXE

You can download the bootorder file and include it in cbfs. If you don’t include iPXE as a payload, remove the last line of the bootorder.txt file. If you are not building SeaBIOS as a payload, then you do not require this file.

After building coreboot, but before flashing, we need to split the coreboot.rom file into two 8MB files. This is because the Intense PC has two 8MB NOR flash chips totaling 16MB.

Extracting binary firmware components
You may notice above that several portions of the initial Intense PC firmware are required to successfully build coreboot. The Intel Descriptor file (otherwise known as the Flash Descriptor Table or FDT), Management Engine firmware, Gigabit Ethernet region, and VGA BIOS.

If you have not yet installed the CompuLab firmware update to address CVE-2017-8083, you should be able to dump the entire firmware using flashrom in Linux:# flashrom -p internal:laptop=force_I_want_a_brick -r intense_pc.bin

You will have to use a hardware method to dump the firmware from the chips. As an example, using a ch341 based SPI programmer and flashrom:# flashrom -p ch341a_spi -r sc1.bin
# flashrom -p ch341a_spi -r sc2.bin

The following instructions are provided AS-IS and with no warranty, express or implied. Flashing coreboot can turn your computer into a brick and will void your warranty. By following these instructions you acknowledge these risks and assume all liability.

To flash coreboot onto your Intense PC, you will need an SPI programmer supported by flashrom.

An inexpensive option is a CH341 based SPI programmer (<$2 USD from eBay/AliExpress):

Because the Intense PC uses the chassis as a heat sink, you need to remove the motherboard from the Intense PC chassis to access the NOR flash. To do this, first remove the hard drive and hard drive carrier secured by a single screw:

Next, remove the 4 screws securing the bottom plate to the chassis:

Next, remove the retaining screw of the FACE module:

Next, remove the screw and two stand-offs securing the motherboard to the chassis. The screw is by the Ethernet ports, and the two stand-offs: one near the audio ports and one under the FACE module:

Disconnect the WiFi antennas (if installed) and disconnect the front panel connector near the SODIMM sockets. You should now be able to lift the motherboard out of the chassis.

You will find the two NOR flash modules on the reverse side of the motherboard:

You will need to solder connections to the pads beside each chip to back up the original firmware and to flash coreboot.

If you’re using the ch341 based programmer, then the flashrom commands would be the following:
For the NOR flash near SC1: $ sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -w SC1.bin
For the NOR flash near SC2: $ sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -w SC2.bin

Conclusion
If you value open-source software and want an alternative to the closed-source and infrequently updated CompuLab firmware, then coreboot is a great choice for the Intense PC/MintBox 2.

However building and flashing coreboot on the Intense PC is not without its risks. You will void your warranty and specialized equipment such as a soldering iron and SPI flashing tool are required.

I was disappointed to find multiplevulnerabilities in CompuLab’s Intense PC firmware. These serious vulnerabilities and CompuLab’s rather lackluster response inspired me to port coreboot to the Intense PC.

I am not an expert on the inner workings of the x86 platform and boot process, so I could not have successfully completed this port without the assistance of the excellent autoport tool.

Coreboot advantages

🎉Open-source firmware🎉

Better memory (RAM) compatibility than the CompuLab firmware

Memtest86+ and iPXE can be included as a payload in flash

Verified boot supported via vboot

Limitations

VBIOS is required if you want any video output before the kernel framebuffer is initialized

No FACE modules except for the included 4 port USB2.0 FACE module (FM-4USB) are supported (due to lack of additional FACE modules to test)

Please note that due to copyright concerns I cannot distribute binary firmware components such as the ME firmware or video BIOS. Additionally, for technical reasons I cannot provide a fully built, flashable coreboot image for your Intense PC. This is the reason for the “Extracting binary firmware components” section of the article.

If you experience issues building or using coreboot, please leave a comment or subscribe to the coreboot mailing list and ask your question there.

The coreboot project and I make no guarantee these instructions and the resulting firmware won’t turn your system into a fancy brick. The instructions produce a bootable firmware on my hardware (MintBox 2) at the time of writing, although this could change at some point in the future.

Please exercise caution and common sense when modifying system firmware and ensure you always have a backup of the original firmware on another device should something go wrong.

Summary
CompuLab have not enabled signature checking of firmware updates for the Intense PC product line. This allows anyone in possession of the Phoenix UEFI update program to write a modified UEFI firmware to system flash. DOS/Windows versions of the Phoenix utility are easily obtained online, allowing a local or remote attacker to install a persistent firmware level rootkit to the computer, or to corrupt the system firmware, causing a denial of service.

Installation of a modified firmware can occur entirely in the background, without any user interaction, and once performed is virtually impossible to difficult to detect using operating system utilities. Physical access is not required.

Product description
The CompuLab Intense PC is fanless mini-PC. A model pre-installed with Linux Mint is also marketed under the name MintBox 2. The system firmware is the same for the Intense PC and MintBox 2. CompuLab also sell the Intense PC with an extended temperature range for industrial applications.

The product was introduced in mid-2013 and is still being sold through Amazon US, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Spain, and directly from CompuLab.

Affected products

Intense PC (Intense PC Value, Intense PC Business, Intense PC Pro)

MintBox 2

Impact
Any software running with local administrator privileges has unrestricted access to read and write the system’s firmware.

An attacker can modify the contents of the system firmware to install a persistent rootkit/bootkit, or to corrupt the firmware causing the computer to cease functioning.

The attack only requires local administrator privileges, and can be executed either by using an existing OS-level exploit to gain local administrator, or via tricking the user into running an executable (e.g. via an attachment in a phishing email).

Proof of Concept
The proof of concept provided for CVE-2017-8083 can be leveraged for this vulnerability as well. The proof of concept uses the Phoenix UEFI Winflash utility to write a modified firmware to flash. Please refer to the article about CVE-2017-8083 for a detailed description of the proof of concept.

The latest CompuLab firmware for the Intense PC (20170521) modified with the upstream EDKII shell can be downloaded here.

Mitigation
At this time there is no means for the end user to enable Capsule Signature verification or to prevent the Phoenix update utility from updating the system firmware.

Therefore Intense PC owners should consider the following options:

Ensure your operating system is up to date with the latest security patches. Do not run software from untrusted sources.

Do not connect your Intense PC to any networks with internet access (i.e. air-gap the computer).

Discontinue your use of the Intense PC and consider replacing the computer with one from a different manufacturer who implements signature validation for firmware updates.

Should CompuLab decide to improve the security of the Intense PC firmware by enabling Capsule Signature validation, then the above recommendations would no longer apply. However, in my communication with CompuLab regarding this issue no indication was given that they have any plans to enable Capsule Signature verification in a future update. Therefore, it seems very unlikely to me CompuLab will issue an update which enables Capsule Signature verification.

Disclosure timeline:6 June 2017: Issue reported to CompuLab6 June 2017: CompuLab confirms that “Default settings of this source tree [Phoenix SecureCore Tiano Enhanced Intel Ivy Bridge CPU Panther Point M] has disabled Capsule Signature option.”6 June 2017: Issue is reported to MITRE6 June 2017: Vulnerability is assigned CVE-2017-94577 June 2017: CompuLab are informed that the vulnerability has been assigned CVE-2017-9457 and details of the vulnerability will be published after 45 days